Arrivederci Del Piero

 

Sunday's Coppa Italia final marked the end of Alessandro Del Piero's 19-year stay with Italian giants Juventus.

The 37-year-old bowed out following his side's 2-0 loss to Napoli, a defeat which will do little to mar a remarkable career with the Old Lady and the Italian national team.
Six Serie A titles, one Champions League victory and a World Cup win mean that Del Piero will always enjoy the respect of his peers, whatever his next move.
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Unhappy Torres

 

Torres uncertain over Chelsea future after 'disappointment' of missing out on Champions League final start

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Chelsea victory written in the stars

 

As Chelsea lifted the Champions League trophy on Saturday night following an unlikely victory over Bayern Munich, it was hard not to feel that fate had played a large part.

The turnaround against Napoli, a backs-to-the-wall performance against Barcelona and, finally, shoot-out success in Bayern's own stadium all capped a campaign which seemed destined for success against the odds.

When ex-Chelsea winger Arjen Robben missed an extra-time penalty, it felt as though Roberto Di Matteo's side would continue to be bestowed with luck until they actually lifted the trophy.

Didier Drogba, a man who played such a large part in the Blues' presence in Munich, scored the crucial equaliser and winning penalty said it all...
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Climbing the Champions League ladder

 

Having overcome the odds to knock out Champions League big guns Real Madrid and Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Chelsea go head to head in the final of the competition on Saturday night.
The Bavarian giants, on home turf for the final, are in search of their fifth triumph in European football's elite club competition and their first since 2001, while the Blues are yet to win the trophy owner Roman Abramovich craves the most.

With the showpiece final now almost upon us, and with Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola already seen off, will Jupp Heynckes or Roberto Di Matteo reach the top of the Champions League ladder?

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Show me the Moneyball

 

Roberto Martinez has emerged as the leading candidate to replace Kenny Dalglish as the new Liverpool manager.
The Reds have asked Wigan for permission to speak to their boss and the Spanish tacticican will be travelling to Boston for an interview with FSG early next week.

So now Martinez will be going through his final preparations ahead of his talks as he tries to impress the club's American owners with his knowledge of their own interests, as well as finalising his own plans for Liverpool should he get the job.

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Old man Ferdinand left behind as Terry & Co. board Roy’s Euro 2012 plane

 

There were always likely to be a few high-profile names missing from Roy Hodgson's England squad for Euro 2012, but not many predicted it would be Rio Ferdinand who was absent.

The Manchester United defender was apparently left behind due to "footballing reasons", and he confirmed via his Twitter account that he was "gutted" not to be involved, and realistically may not get another call-up in his career.

So now the veteran centre-back is left grounded as John Terry, Wayne Rooney and Hodgson jet off the Poland and Ukraine.

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Kenny walks alone

 

Not even his legendary status at Liverpool could save Kenny Dalglish from the axe on Wednesday as Fenway Sports Group decided that enough was enough.

The Scot paid the price for his side's disastrous Premier League form despite triumph in the League Cup, finishing below rivals Everton for the first time since 2004-05 and winning only six league games at Anfield.
So now 'King Kenny' must leave his crown behind as he sings a slightly different tune to that old Kop favourite...

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Dream Catcher

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Moneybags Mancini hijacks Van Persie contract talks

 

With Robin van Persie set to meet Arsene Wenger on Wednesday to discuss his future at Arsenal, Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini will, no doubt, be keeping an ear to the ground for the latest developments.

The Dutch striker hardly filled Gunners fans with confidence by refusing to publicly commit himself to the club on Sunday: "I'll always love Arsenal whatever happens."

Yeah, thanks Robin. Mancini will be licking his lips...and holding up a huge bag of cash.

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Ruud decides to hang up his boots

 

A whole heap of defenders enjoyed a particularly comfortable night's sleep on Monday after the news came through that Ruud van Nistelrooy has decided to call time on his playing career.

The Malaga striker, who terrorised both the Eredivisie with PSV and the Premier League in a Manchester United shirt before initially coming to Spain with Real Madrid, happily declared that "I couldn't have a better send-off than this" as he stopped to reflect on a sparkling career...

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